SOUND INTENSITY CALCULATION

DESCRIPTION RESULT Unit

100
Sound Intensity Level SIL dB

sound intensity  I 0.0995 W/m^2

sound intensity Reference value Iref 1E-11 W/m^2

Equation SIL = 10 * log (I/Iref)

SIL is the sound Intensity level in dB
I is the sound intensity in watts per squared meter
Iref is the reference value if sound intensity. Typically, it is assumed to b

SOUND INTENSITY AT A DISTANCE CALCULATION

DESCRIPTION RESULT Unit
0.0995
Sound Intensity I W/m^2

Pressure P 5 pa

Distance R 2 m

Equation I = P / (4π*R^2)
R is the radius of the sphere - the distance from the sound source.

Law:
.
Sound intensity is defined as the sound wave power per area. It is a special quantity that allows us to measure
the energy of sound (or, to be more precise, the energy per second per one squared meter).
Sound intensity at a distance:

Sound intensity changes with the distance from the sound source. It's just common sense - if a car passes
you, you hear a loud noise that gets quieter as the car moves away from you. This phenomenon is also known
as distance attenuation.

From a physical point of view, it happens because the energy of sound is now distributed over a larger area.
Imagine a sphere surrounding the sound source. Even though the energy emitted by the source is constant,
the sphere can get larger - its surface will increase. The energy will be distributed over the area of the sphere.
Not surprisingly, we can write it down in the form of an equation as

I = P / (4π*R^2)

where R is the radius of the sphere - the distance from the sound source
I = P / (4π*R^2)

where R is the radius of the sphere - the distance from the sound source
 Detail Input cell

Result output cell

pically, it is assumed to be equal to 10^(-12) W/m^2.=0.00000000001W/m^2

the sound source.

GRAPHICAL ILLUSTRATION

allows us to measure
r).

- if a car passes
menon is also known

over a larger area.

ource is constant,
area of the sphere.
Table 1. Sound Intensity Levels and Intensities

Sound intensity level β (dB)

10

20

30

40

50

60
70

80

90

100

110

120

140

160
evels and Intensities

Intensity I(W/m )
2

1 × 10–12

1 × 10–11

1 × 10–10

1 × 10–9

1 × 10–8

1 × 10–7

1 × 10–6
1 × 10
–5

1 × 10
–4

1 × 10
–3

1 × 10
–2

1 × 10
–1

1 × 10
2

1 × 10
4
Example/effect

Threshold of hearing at 1000 Hz

Rustle of leaves

Whisper at 1 m distance

Quiet home

Average home

Average office, soft music

Normal conversation
Noisy office, busy traffic

Loud radio, classroom lecture

Inside a heavy truck; damage from prolonged exposure[1]

Noisy factory, siren at 30 m; damage from 8 h per day exposure

Damage from 30 min per day exposure

Loud rock concert, pneumatic chipper at 2 m; threshold of pain

Jet airplane at 30 m; severe pain, damage in seconds

Bursting of eardrums